Galatians 2:5
to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Truth to Learn
The truth of the gospel messages is, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
Meaning Explained
Paul has been explaining his 2nd trip to Jerusalem to the Galatian Christians. He went there with Barnabas and Titus to have the leaders of the Jerusalem church help settle the dispute which had arisen in Antioch over whether or not Christians had to obey the Mosaic Law in order to be saved. Paul’s contention, based on his direct revelation from God, was that we have been freed from the bondage of the Law of the flesh (the Law of Moses which had to be obeyed in our fleshly bodies). But there were others in the church in Antioch who claimed to have authority from the apostles saying that Christians had to obey the Law.
If you read through the letters that Paul sent to various churches you will find that he was not wishy-washy when it came to doctrinal teaching. Nor was he willing to compromise when it came to doctrinal issues and this was one of them. And, as he says in the current verse, he was not willing to submit to the false teaching of the legalizers at all. Not even for an hour!
He understood that the gospel message is very simple, Jesus is the Christ (the anointed one) the Son of the living God who died on the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world, was buried, and rose from the dead. Paul understood that anyone recognizing that they are a sinner who humbles himself or herself before our holy God believing this simple gospel message and accepts Christ’s payment for their sins, is a born-again Christian. There is no need for any other deeds or actions in order to become a Christian. There is no need to also follow the rites and practices of the Jewish faith. There is no need to also follow the traditions and prescriptions of any organized church.
In the book of Acts Luke recounts the events that occurred in Philippi where Paul and Silas had been thrown in jail for preaching the gospel. They sat in a cold, dark, miserable dungeon with their feet in stocks and sang hymns of praise. Suddenly there was a great earthquake that opened all the prison doors and miraculously released the chains that bound them. The jailer, thinking that all the prisoners had escaped was about to kill himself when Paul called out to him not to hurt himself because the prisoners were still there. In amazement and fear the jailer came to Paul and wanted to know how to be saved. Here’s how Paul and Silas replied:
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)
Not, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and become part of the official church.” Not, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and obey the Law.” Not even, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized.” Simply, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
That’s all it takes to be a Christian, nothing more!
Application
Do not yield to compromise when it comes to the simple truth of salvation by faith alone. Stand firm upon your faith in your Savior. You need nothing more!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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